By Elizabeth Jane Shelton
“Enjoy your familiar!” Harmony smiled and waved goodbye to her latest customer. The gap-toothed girl grinned and waved back, towing a harried-looking cockatrice behind her.
They sure start mage school young these days.
Harmony put her hands on her hips and turned to her own familiar, an orange tabby perched on the store counter. “What’s next, Turnip?”
The bell over the front door rang, and Turnip hissed and jumped behind the counter. A young man walked in wearing a student mage uniform that was obviously too small for him, although his pointed black hat was so large it slipped over his eyes as he entered. He yanked it off, scowling and wringing it in his hands as he looked around.
“Welcome to Harmony’s Haven,” she said. “I’m Harmony Star. How can I help?”
“I’m, um, looking for a familiar. I’m a student.” He turned bright red.
“I can help with that.” Harmony smiled. “What’s your name?”
“Sheffield.”
“Follow me, Sheffield.” Harmony retrieved her ukulele from behind the counter and led him out the rear door.
Sheffield gasped at the expansive outdoor space, a series of natural habitats surrounding an open grassy clearing. Towering trees along the perimeter provided a playground for a family of eight-limbed chimps. To the east, several frogs with batlike wings soaked in a shallow pond, and to the west, dog-sized lizards sunned themselves on a rocky outcropping, smoke trickling from their nostrils. It should have been too large for Harmony’s backyard, but magic always found a way. “Welcome to Haven.”
Sheffield drew back. “Is this… safe?” he whispered.
“Of course!” Harmony moved westward, Sheffield trailing her like a shadow. “All Haven’s creatures have magical potential. Some are former familiars, some are in rehabilitation, and a few are rescues.” She winked at Sheffield. “It’s a joy to take care of creatures. It’s an honor to take care of poachers.”
Sheffield swallowed. “Noted.”
“Why don’t we start by meeting the kittens?”
Unfortunately, the kittens weren’t interested in meeting Sheffield. The moment he walked up, they skittered into their enclosures, refusing to come out even when Harmony played their favorite ditty.
She frowned. “Let’s try something else. How about the bat-frogs?”
The scene with the kittens repeated with the bat-frogs. And the octo-chimps. And the draco-lizards.
Every single magical creature in Haven ran and hid when Sheffield approached.
Harmony crossed her arms. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s gotten into everyone today!”
Sheffield shrugged, somehow looking both relieved and depressed. “I’m sure it’s all my fault.”
Harmony sighed. They needed to regroup.
She led Sheffield to a pavilion in the center of the clearing and gestured for him to take one of the chairs near a circular table. She took another, absentmindedly strumming minor chords on her ukulele as she thought.
Sheffield said he was here for a familiar, but he didn’t seem interested in creatures. In fact, he seemed downright frightened. “Sheffield, do you like animals?”
Sheffield sighed. “No, not really.”
“Then why do you want a familiar?”
He put his hat back on. “I started school pretty late. My farming village didn’t have connections to the mage network, so no one ever tested me. I found out I had magical potential a few months ago by accident.
“At first I was excited, but… everyone else at my level is younger, and the older students pick on me for being a late bloomer. And I don’t seem to be very good at book magic.”
Sheffield sighed again. “The best mages have familiars. I thought maybe if I got a familiar, I could prove I’m a real mage, too.”
Harmony transitioned to playing something more hopeful. “You don’t need a familiar to prove you’re a mage,” she said gently. “There’s nothing wrong with being a late bloomer. Or needing a little extra help. I flunked out of mage school, you know.”
“Really?”
“Really! I started working for a traveling entertainer, and I learned that my magic works best with music, not books.” She plucked an intricate series of notes, then touched Sheffield’s hat, which shrank until it fit him properly.
Sheffield stared at her, his eyes wide, his mouth agape.
Harmony winked, setting down the ukulele. “Why don’t I grab some lemonade and tell you the whole story? Give me just a minute.” She left Sheffield staring at the instrument.
Turnip meowed loudly as she entered the shop. “He’s a good kid,” Harmony said softly, bending down to scratch Turnip behind his ears. “He just hasn’t found his place yet.”
Harmony always had a soft spot for creatures in need. Even human creatures.
Turnip meowed again, and Harmony frowned. “Wait, why did I come in here?” She stared blankly at Turnip when she heard lively music in the distance.
Harmony returned to find Sheffield surrounded by magical creatures and strumming her ukulele. He was smiling for the first time since he’d arrived.
Two cats nodded along at Sheffield’s feet, a bat-frog perched on Harmony’s chair, and a lurking draco-lizard puffed smoke rings to the beat.
Sheffield hastily set the ukulele back down as Harmony approached. “I’m sorry! I should have asked first!”
Harmony waved a hand. “It’s fine! But Sheffield, have you considered bard college?”
“Bard college?”
“Of course! You’re an incredible musician! And there’s more than one way to learn magic.”
Sheffield opened his mouth but was interrupted by a flutter of wings as a small multicolored sunbird flew down and settled on his shoulder. Its iridescent wings shimmered in the sunlight, and when they flapped, they emitted tiny sparks of light.
The sunbird whistled a few notes of Sheffield’s song, nipped at the brim of his hat, and tilted its head expectantly.
Sheffield hesitated, then whistled the notes back. The sunbird cheeped, let off a shower of sparks, and scratched at his robes, which suddenly grew to fit him perfectly.
“What just happened?” Sheffield asked.
“I think you found your familiar.” Harmony grinned, then handed him the ukulele. “Keep this. You’re going to need it.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
What a visual “octo-chimps” creates! And your line “Even human creatures” is so spot-on. Wonderful fantasy story.
Thank you!! I was channeling Avatar: The Last Airbender a little as I was coming up with magical creatures haha
That was a sweet turn of events. I love the haven you created. I so want to visit. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! I was hoping for a cozy vibe, so I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Happy Friday, everyone! Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy! I loved writing stories with Harmony bridging the gap between people and animals this month, she was a very fun character.
Sweet story! Great way to start a Friday!
I love the concept of a rescue familiar store! And the theme that not everyone is right for the same kind of ‘magic’, but can have different ability and shine if put in the right environments is such a good message. Thank you for sharing this heartwarming story!
Wonderful story. Loved seeing this tender side of Harmony.
Thank you! I’m looking forward to reading your thriller take on Harmony next week!
Really nice! So beautifully written – the characters, the setting, everything. Love it!